


Emerald Eyes

by bitacrytic



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Additional Tags to Be Added, Alpha Bait, BAMF Danny, BAMF Stiles, Canon Divergence, Darach - Freeform, Feelings, Kidnapping, Mating Cycles, Nemeton, Pack Building, Rough Sex, Unhealthy Relationships, alpha pack, alpha-beta-omega dynamics, non-con
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2018-11-28 16:11:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11421513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitacrytic/pseuds/bitacrytic
Summary: When Peter bit Stiles that night in the garage, he didn’t gain the same confidence that Scott got with his transformation. He did, however, gain something else entirely





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Events occur, pretty much the same way they did in Season 1 & 2, except for Stiles receiving the bite.  
> I'm not sure the schedule for this would be like but I will try to upload as regularly as I can.

Stiles had no idea what was going on between him and Derek. He wasn't sure he was ready to find out anyway. Not when his suspicions had been confirmed more than once that he meant absolutely nothing to Derek. 

And yet, once a month, Derek's shadow would darken his window pane as the alpha stared at stiles with hopeful eyes as if begging for Stiles to let him in... let Derek fuck him till he bled and Derek screamed in joy and ecstasy. It was messed up and even though it had hurt the first few times, Stiles had healed. He'd survived. 

But as he let his body get used to it, he began to enjoy it. Because even though it seemed as though Derek wasn't always in his right mind when he showed up, he somehow became a little more lucid the longer they fucked till the point where he started to jerk Stiles off and make him feel good enough that the healed wounds didn't matter anymore. 

In all that time, Stiles had never managed to ask why Derek sought him out. But now? Now Stiles was finally getting answers and he wasn't sure how he felt about his source being a couple of alphas having a shouting match about fucking him. 

"I just don't understand why I have to go into town and look for a beta to fuck when he's right there!" Ennis shouted back at Deucalion as he pointed to where Stiles sat on the floor of the Alpha Pack's apartment, bound and gagged. 

"He's off limits!" Deucalion stated, rubbing his thumb over the knob on his walking cane. 

"You let us fuck the other ones." Ennis said, staring at Stiles in a confused blend of lust and disdain. “What makes him so special?”

The words were barely out of his mouth when Deucalion rose to his feet, meeting Ennis with barely controlled raged. 

“He is not here for your entertainment.”

Stiles knew his heart was hammering in his chest but he was powerless to stop it. There was no way he was leaving this apartment. At least not while he was still alive. Since they’d kidnapped him the night before, Stiles had been in this spot, listening to the pack share intimate details of their plans. He’d thought they’d give him a beating and drop him off at Scott’s doorstep or starve him off the moonlight and set him lose on Derek like they did with Cora and Boyd. 

But they hadn’t said anything about that.  They just moved about as if he wasn’t there. 

And that scared the fuck out of him. 

“Fine!” Ennis said, raising his hands and backing away from Deucalion. “Beacon Hills has other betas anyway.”

Even as he left, Stiles didn’t miss the covetous look Ennis threw his way. But the moment the door slammed shut, Deucalion was pulling Stiles to his feet. If his heart had been scared of the lack of activity, it was practically itching to jump out of his chest now that his mind was cooking up different reasons as to why the alpha was paying him attention now. 

“Do you know what a New Moon is, Stiles?”

Stiles nodded despite himself, fighting the tears in his eyes as the door to a beautifully furnished room is kicked open and Stiles is led in and dumped on the larger bed at its center 

“Do you know what it means for alphas?”

He shakes his head this time because no matter how much he’d researched Derek’s compulsive need to fuck him during a New Moon, Stiles never actually found anything. Even the famous Bestiary was mute on the issue and Derek didn't look ready to talk about it. 

“The sky grows dark at night, missing the moon and we alphas, we feel it in our bones… the need to be complete… the compulsion to be recognized… the necessity to dominate.” He unhooks the cap of his cane and swiftly cuts across Stiles' cheek, splitting the gag and cutting his skin a little as it begins to heal. “I was beginning to worry about what my stay in Beacon Hills would be like with no worthy betas to… dominate, because,  as you can see, my pack is made up of no betas.”

“Probably should have thought of that before you had your pack mates kill their betas, huh?”

“It’s no bother to me. I can go months without the New Moon affecting me but you,” Deucalion said, letting out a heavy breath as he moved in on Stiles. “You smell too good to be true. For all your bravado, there’s the beautiful scent of the most precious submission laid out all over you that it would be impossible for me to just walk away from you without a fight.”

Stiles could tell where Deucalion was going already. Judging from Ennis behavior earlier and Derek’s monthly visits, Stiles knew what Deucalion was talking about. After all his time spent researching, Stiles wished he’d never found out about the New Moon. 

**_____**

Derek’s skin itched him as he left the loft that evening, looking up to the sky with trepidation and foreboding. He’d waited too long again and now his rut was starting. He could feel the tightness of his skin as his clothes rubbed against him in the most uncomfortable manner. He’d promised himself that last month would be the last time he went knocking at Stiles’ window. But that had been a foolish promise. 

Derek couldn’t stay away. 

Stiles was still a kid but he’d always been a kid. He’d been a kid that night when Peter had bitten him in the garage. And he’d been a kid the first time the New Moon had forced Derek into Stiles' bed after he killed Peter. It was not Derek’s fault. He knew about the alpha’s rut. Just like he knew any of his betas would gladly fulfill his needs, but something about Stiles set his teeth on edge and dragged him to the boy’s room every New Moon,  whether Derek wanted to or not. 

After that first night when they’d fucked, Derek had thought that would be it. Because the next morning, he’d woken tangled in Stiles and had felt nothing but rage. Wrought with anger and self hate, he flung Stiles away and dressed in haste while Stiles watched him in quiet contemplation. He hadn’t sought Derek in need of an explanation and that was fine. 

Till Derek found himself in the boy’s room the next month… and the month after that… and the month after that. 

He jumped and caught the roof, swinging himself up to the top floor as he creeper closer to the room window in anticipation. He knocked, expecting it to slide open like always. But nothing happened. So he opened it and stepped in, finally noting that there was no heartbeat present in the house. 

“Come on!” He groaned, diving into Stiles’ bed as he shoved his hand down his pants and inhaled deeply from Stiles’ pillow. He was already shaking with need that after a few tugs on his dick, Derek came in his trouser, trembling from head to toe in agony. This was not right. This did not feel good. Derek needed Stiles. Bed always had Stiles ever since he became an alpha. 

He did not think he could survive the New Moon if he did not see Stiles. 

_____

Deucalion fucked Stiles all through the night and unlike how it had been with Derek, Deucalion seemed to want to hurt Stiles on purpose. He bit into Stiles neck and tried pulling Stiles’ bed hands in awkward directions. One time, he tried to bend Stiles till his head was bent beneath his body in a bow while Deucalion fucked him from behind.

He cried through the entire thing and by morning, Stiles was not so sure it was only the New Moon affecting Deucalion anymore. His eyes were no longer manic. Instead he looked very sober when he told Stiles to get on the floor, kneel and open up his mouth. 

Needless to say, by the time he was done, Stiles was gagging and crying as the alpha walked away leaving him bruised and hurt as his skin fought to heal itself. 

As he lay there on the floor, Stiles continued to cry, picking weakly at the wooden leg of the bed. He was going to stab Deucalion the next time he came in. Yes. He’d stab him and weaken him and run. Or maybe he’d get lucky and kill the bastard. Yes. Who would treat him like this if he’s was an alpha? No one. 

The moment he succeeded in pulling free an inch thick stake Wood,  the door opened and Stiles whimpered as he clutched the stake to his naked chest in tears. 

“I’ll kill you.” Stiles said weakly,  still holding the stake to his own chest like it was a shield rather that a weapon. 

“I take it you’re not hungry,  then?” Kali said, breezing into the room on her bare feet and barely sparing his weapon any thought. She dropped a saucer with a scanty slice of pizza on the bed before leaving, not bothering to address the fact that Stiles had ruined the bed of that he had a weapon now. 

She knew he was weak. She knew he was powerless. And they could keep him here as long as they wanted and his tiny little stake would do nothing to help. 

_____

Derek woke up feeling heavy and tired and angry as he realized that Stiles had not been with him the night before. He pulled out his phone and called but Stiles did not answer. So he called Scott. 

“Where’s Stiles?”

“Are you not with him?”

“Yes that’s why I called you to ask for him.”

“I don’t know. He doesn’t… we don’t hang out New Moon, Derek. He is supposed to be with you.”

“Well, he’s not. And he’s not at home.” Derek said. “Something doesn’t feel right. We need to find him.” He said, refusing to add that the New Moon had two more nights and Derek wasn’t sure he wanted to witness another without Stiles. 

_____

Even after he’d healed, Stiles refused to let go of the stake or climb back unto the bed. His body still ached and every time he closed his eyes, he could hear Deucalion. He could feel him coming over and over again inside of Stiles. So he stayed awake. 

But sometime in the afternoon, Ennis brought him lunch and Stiles rememebered that he hadn’t eaten the wretched pizza.

“You need to eat.” Ennis said, dropping a second piece of pizza beside the first piece. 

Stiles pressed his lips together, refusing to engage him but then Ennis took a whiff of the room and started towards him. 

“The sun is up.” He said.  “It’s the middle of the day and yet, you still smell glorious.”

Not again. 

“Deucalion told you not to touch me.” Stiles said weakly as Ennis hovered over him with nothing but the stake between them as Stiles was forced to remember that it was vampires who were scared of stakes. Vampires. Not alpha werewolves who could rip you apart with their claws and teeth. 

“Please.” He begged. But it was futile. No one else was here to protect him and he was probably going to get raped till he died. Stiles could just see his future in this apartment as the pack bitch. Deucalion would return and then they’d fight over him but he’d still have two more nights with Deucalion and it would still be horrible because who knew if he was going to stop during the month? 

When Ennis plastered himself across Stiles to inhale deeply, without thinking, Stiles turned the stake and it drove into Ennis’ chest with the force of his descent and he stopped, eyes wide in shock. 

“You-” he began to say but Stiles found two seconds of bravery and shoved the stake deeper, causing Ennis to kneel up and back away as he took hold of the stake. 

But it was now or never. Stiles knew it within himself. If he didn’t escape now, he’d never be free. So stood to his feet as his claws extended from his fingers, raised his hand and brought it down with a deft blow against Ennis throat as the alpha seized before him, took one final breath and fell to the floor. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the kudos and lovely comments, thank you all!

Deaton was sure he was missing something. He had to be. Because there was no reason why Stiles would be in his office, sitting still as a statue with his body covered in blood. He wasn’t entirely certain if he’d feel worse if it was Stiles’ blood or if it belonged to someone else. 

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” He asked as Stiles shook his head, sitting on a bench with a blanket Deaton had draped around him. “Is that your blood?” Again, Stiles shook his head and tightened his grip on the blanket. “Could you tell me whose it is?”

“Ennis.”

Deaton froze, mouth hanging open as realization dawned on him. If Stiles did this much damage and got away, then the alpha had to be dead. Which meant Stiles -frail, weak, delicate, werewolf Stiles- was now an alpha. Deaton could not decipher what went wrong with the boy when Peter bit him. Yes, he had the beta shift like any normal wolf. His eyes were yellow but his abilities were mostly innate. Like his ability to see in the dark or hear things no human could hear. His sense of smell was also as supernatural as the other wolves. 

But that was it. 

Stiles wasn’t faster than before. He wasn’t stronger and he still seemed as hyperactive and distracted as he was before the bite. Stiles was pretty much human when it came to a fight. Deaton could not tell why he was so. Not that he’d given it much thought. The boy seemed more than okay with the way he was and he wasn’t exactly chopping at the bit to get stronger. But now… now, he was an alpha. 

Which was when Deaton’s mind screeched to halt in horror at a sudden realization. If Stiles had been with the alphas during a New Moon, Deaton could only imagine what had happened to the poor boy. Maybe that was why he’d come here instead of going home. Maybe that was why he hadn’t called his best friend. 

Maybe that was why Deaton shouldn’t have texted Scott when he went to get the blanket a while ago. 

\-----

Derek couldn’t see straight. Stiles was hurt. Stiles was Hurt. Stiles was hurt and Derek couldn’t see. 

Guided by his sense of smell, he burst into Deaton’s office to find the beta sitting there as he rushed at him, pulling him into a much needed hug while Scott followed right behind. 

“It’s okay.” He found himself saying. “I’m here. I’m here Stiles. It’s okay.”

But Stiles remained stiff, even in Derek’s arms. 

\-----

Stiles was a little confused at the uncharacteristic attention Derek seemed to want to show him. In front of other people. Most times, even after they’d started fucking, if he was lucky all he’d get is a grunt from Derek. Even then, it was an irritable grunt. 

So what was going on? 

Then he remembered that yet another night of the New Moon was upon them. That had to be it. 

But Stiles was an alpha now. Derek should not have been treating him this way. Derek should be appalled by him right now. Or at least not want to wrap him up in his arms and start whispering soothing things to him. 

Unless something had gone wrong. Just like when he’d been bitten. Something was wrong with him and now it was affecting his alpha-ness. 

“What happened to him?” Scott asked. “Stiles, where were you?”

“The Alpha Pack took me.”

Derek growled, tightening his arms around Stiles and solidifying the notion that, indeed, something must have gone wrong with his newly-acquired alpha spark.

“How did you escape then?” Scott asked, coming closer to place his hand on Stiles’ knee in support. “What happened?”

“I killed Ennis.”

The room that was already very quiet grew even quieter with his declaration. Before him, Scott’s eyes grew ten sizes. Beside him, Derek stiffened till he almost felt like rock. However, in front of him, Deaton’s resting-poker-face slipped and gave way to contemplative as he watched Stiles. 

With all their attention even more focused on him, Stiles flashed his eyes as proof when they all gasped.

“What?” he asked. He may not have been feeling like an alpha but Stiles knew his eyes had to tell the truth. He’d never gotten the strength and the fancy stuff but he’d at least gotten the beta eyes. Surely, he had the alpha eyes now. 

“What?” he asked, looking around. “What is it?”

“Stiles… your eyes aren’t alpha red.” Scott said. 

“They’re green.” Derek explained. 

\-----

Kali clawed at the walls, roaring in anger at Ennis’ dead body. 

“I will kill… EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!” she screamed. 

The twins arrived with bags and cleaning equipment and set about moving Ennis from the floor to the bags. But Kali was running on too much fire to understand why Deucalion stood there, staring up at nothing. A part of their pack was gone. Ennis was gone. Someone was going to have to die.

As she turned to leave, his hand shot out and caught her by shoulder. 

“Deuc-”

“Be smart.”

“That toothpick killed Ennis.”

“Kali!”

“You’re not still thinking of adding any of them to the pack, are you? I won’t allow it.”

Deucalion faced her, face grim for the first since she’d entered this room. 

“We’ll kill them all.” He said. “I promise you.”

\-----

Deaton should have guessed what was going on with Stiles. He should have known. But now, staring back at Stiles’ huge eyes fading from green back to their natural, honey color, everything suddenly made sense. 

“Why are my eyes green?” he asked. 

Once again, Deaton wished he’d spoken to Stiles before he called the others. 

“Can I talk to Stiles alone, please?”

“No.” Derek shook his head. 

“What is it, Deaton?” Scott asked, petting Stiles’ knee as his eyes followed Deaton with worry.

“Derek,” Stiles began. “The sun is already down. You need to find yourself a beta.”

“I don’t want to leave you.”

“He’s right, Derek. You need to-”

“I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE!” Derek shouted. “I’m not going anywhere Deaton. If you’re going to tell us what’s going on, tell us already.”

Deaton assessed the faces before him. He knew what his place was. He may have retired as an active druid, but Deaton’s job would forever be to keep the balance. Including Scott and Derek into this discussion would do nothing to affect the cosmos so he sighed and stepped closer, taking a stool with him till he sat.

“When alpha bites a human, there’s always another element to it.” He explained.

“Another element.” Stiles repeated.

“Yes. Intent. What you become is as a result of the bite, as we saw with Scott. And as we’ve seen with Jackson, who you are on the inside can affect what of supernatural form you take.” Deaton took a deep breath. “But an alpha’s intent is also important.”

“What does intent have to do with it?” Derek asked. “You bite someone and they either turn or die. That’s it.”

“No, Derek. An alpha gives the bite for different reasons. Someone is sick and you bite them to heal them? You create a beta. You want to grow a pack or get more power and you bite them? You create a beta. But if an alpha…” Deaton hesitated before he continued. “If an alpha wanted a mate and he bit the object of his affection, he wouldn’t create a beta. He’d create a gamma.”

He waited, watching till, one by one, understanding began to dawn on his audience. First from Stiles who blinked till his eyes steadied, then lurched forward and vomited unto the floor of the clinic. Derek was about to start fretting over Stiles again when his own face contorted in confusion and he looked down at Stiles.

“What does that mean, Deaton?” He asked, forgetting that there was vomit all over his shoes and part of his jeans.

“Stiles!” Scott said, picking him up and moving him away from the mess as he used the blanket to wipe at Stiles’ mouth. “Are you alright?”

“Are you saying Peter bit him because he wanted to mate with him?” Derek asked to clarify.

“Yes, but seeing as you killed him not longer after, Peter was never able to complete the mating. Which is why every New Moon, you’re drawn to him Derek. Every New Moon, his hormones are broadcasting to any alpha around that he’s ready to be mated.”

Stiles shook his head, standing to his feet with the help of Scott.

“Mated, Deaton. That sounds so final.”

“Fret not, Stiles. A full mating requires a second bite at a very auspicious point during sex.”

“What point- are you saying if someone bites me during an orgasm, I’ll be mated forever?” He asked, his voice raising in fear. “I’m barely seventeen. I don’t want to mate with anybody.”

“You haven’t been mated, Stiles. If you were, other alphas wouldn’t feel so attracted to you anymore.”

“So what am I? Am I an alpha or a…” he trailed off, looking to Deaton for help.

“A gamma.”

“Yeah. Am I an alpha or a gamma?”

 _Green eyes_ , Deaton thought. He’d seen that manifest once before from the alpha of a pack he’d worked with in Australia a few years back. A young woman had been sold by her father in order to broker a treaty between two packs. But after she’d been bitten and accepted as the alpha’s mate, she’d bitten into his neck the night of their mating and ripped his throat out with her teeth.

When she emerged the next morning, eyes glowing green with a fierceness in her them that no one thought was possible of the meek girl they’d seen the night before, she’d declared herself alpha. A strange phenomenon… something super-supernatural, in fact. While her word held sway over her betas like a real alpha’s word would, it was nothing compared to the reaction she got from normal, red-eyed alphas. Because she was not just a supernatural dominant anymore.

She was a supernatural dominant who other supernatural dominants wanted to please. And that was a whole new type of frightening.

“Deaton!” Stiles called, bringing him to present. “What am I supposed to be?”

“As of right now, Stiles, you’re both. An alpha and a gamma.”

\-----

Everything made sense to Derek now. His incessant need to be with Stiles during the New Moon could be explained by the whole gamma thing. That had to be it. That had to be why he felt sick every morning after. Why he couldn’t look Stiles in the face once he’d gotten it all out of his system. He was an alpha and Stiles broadcasting on all frequencies to every other alpha. It was nothing special. It had nothing to do with Derek.

And Stiles’ reaction to him was as a result of what Peter had done to him. The bite had made him a gamma. If he was sending out those signals because of what he was, then he had to crave alphas because of what he was. It wasn’t something he’d wanted.

It wasn’t something he’d wanted, Derek thought, feeling nauseous as well.

“Excuse me.” He stood to his feet, fighting the dizziness he felt from moving away from Stiles. “I need some air.”

“Derek-” Stiles began to say but Derek didn’t hear him because he was already out the door.

It all made so much sense. Loud, talkative Stiles who liked to question everything had never once questioned Derek’s behavior. He’d just lain there and taken it like the good, little gamma that he was. He’d accepted Derek’s behavior and kept quiet because that was what he was now. That was what his body was meant for now.

Derek had taken everything he needed. He’d used him like he was nothing. He’d fucked and wounded and scarred the teenage boy. And yet, not once had Stiles fought back. Because he was a gamma.

Well, too bad. Because now he was an alpha. Stiles was an alpha and Derek was never going to be able to get near him again. They were through. Their dysfunctional, nonconsensual relationship was over. Derek felt so lost, letting the realization sink in.

So he ran. He tore off his shirt, kicked his shoes to the curb and ran till he couldn’t think anymore. He just wanted it all to stop and everything to keep quiet just so he could be alone. Sprinting passed trees and clearings deep into the forest, he made his way to the top of a hill where he stopped, threw his head back and howled to the moonless sky.

Afterwards, as he stood there, breathing and trying to calm himself, his body tensed at the sudden arrival of unwanted wolves in his presence. He hissed and turned around in time to see Kali and the twins emerge from the trees.

“You made this all too easy.” Kali said, landing on the ground soundlessly.

“You’re trespassing.” Derek said, flexing his shoulders and getting ready for a fight.

“We’re looking for Stiles.” Ethan said. “He killed Ennis.”

“I don’t know where he is.”

Kali scoffed, advancing on him as the twins placed their hands together and began to meld into one alpha.

“That’s alright.” Kali said. “I’m going to enjoy leaving your corpse at his door.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been two weeks and I kinda got lost with this fic but I’m back. The other two chapters had other characters’ POV, but for now, I’m going to stick with Stiles for a while. If the need for another character’s POV does arise, I will leave a warning at the beginning of the chapter.

When Stiles got home, still wrapped in Deaton’s blanket and no longer reeling from all the freakiness that was the fact that he was now an alpha wolf, he began to feel a little spited. His father wasn’t home from work yet, but seeing as Stiles had been gone for only a night, he wasn’t sure his father had been alerted to his capture. His father, however, was not the source of Stiles’ anger. If anything, he was a little relieved that he didn’t have to return home to a freaked out father who had been scared out of his mind with worry.

Stiles was mainly vexed that Derek had left him at the animal shelter.

He’d called for him. He’d wanted to look Derek in the eye and explain that none of this –all the craziness- none of it changed anything between them. He’d been hurt by Deucalion but Stiles had healed. And the… the sex… the torture… the absolute lack of consent? Well, that was par for the course that was Stiles’ life. From the day Peter had bitten Scott, Stiles had somehow signed a contract that said that the supernatural could fuck his life anyway it wanted.

So Derek should have known better. He should have known that Stiles wouldn’t curl up in a ball and cry. There was no time for that. Not when they lived in Beacon Hills. He could get beaten one day and still unsheathe his claws the next second for a new fight because they were a pack now. And that was how things went.

Feeling rejected and soiled, he climbed up to his bathroom, ignoring his room as he let the blanket fall at his door on his way. He turned the shower on, choosing to pass over the middle dial in favor of the piping hot so that the water scalded his skin and took his mind elsewhere for two seconds. Whatever blister he gained, he’d heal. He wasn’t going to worry about anything anymore. He was a wolf. He was an alpha now. Nothing could hurt him for long.

He’d heal anyway.

\-----

After his shower, he pulled the blinds open and sat on his bed, pulling the covers over his body as he held his pillow tight and stared out at the dark night, still wondering if Derek would show up. If they’d spent the first night of the New Moon together, Stiles would have expected no second visit. He didn’t know what to expect now.

If Derek was rutting, Stiles didn’t know what that meant for an alpha who hadn’t had his way with a beta on the first night. But then, Stiles was an alpha, himself. And he didn’t feel anything. He felt no distance from the moon. He didn’t feel the abandonment Deaton had described and he sure as hell didn’t feel the need to press Scott or Boyd or Cora or Isaac down and do anything sexual to them.

It had to be his gamma side. If it had affected his spark as a beta, Stiles was sure it would affect what type of alpha he was.

But then a thought occurred to him. A pack with more than one alpha was unnatural. The Alpha Pack was an example of that. Maybe that was why Derek didn’t want him anymore. Maybe that was why he’d run from Stiles the moment he’d learned Stiles was no longer a beta but an alpha… a rival.

Quashing the burning in his stomach, Stiles pulled his blanket around him even more. Months and months of praying that Derek wouldn’t wake up one New Moon and realize that he could do so much better than Stiles Stilinski, he’d never thought that becoming an alpha would be what drove Derek from his arms.

His ears twitched as he picked up a pained groan beneath his window. In a flash, he was peeking out; looking down at his lawn at the unmistakable features of Derek crouched on the ground.

“Derek?”

“Stiles!” Derek said, sounding almost as if he was sighing in relief. “Help me.”

And just like that, he slumped on the ground and stopped moving.

\-----

Stiles jumped through the window, landed seamlessly on the ground and rushed to Derek’s side as he began lifting the heavier man up.

“I swear to god, Derek…” He threatened as Derek groaned again but still remained almost unconscious. “Don’t die. Oh god. Don’t die, Derek.”

“He’s already halfway there.” Kali’s voice rang through the air, causing Stiles’ blood to run cold. “Hello Stiles.”

“Fuck!” He cussed, pushing Derek unto the porch as he turned to face Kali just as the huge, twin alpha came barreling out of the bushes. “I see you brought company.”

“You killed Ennis.”

“I could make an argument for Erica somewhere there, but I doubt you’d acknowledge it.”

Kali yelled and lunged at him, taking a piece of his skin with her when she pulled her hand back, but Stiles was scrappy enough to get a good dig in as his own hands returned to him with blood in his claws. The second hit he got was from the twins as Kali regrouped somewhere.

When Stiles’ back crashed against the wall, feeling the weight of the heavy alpha’s grip crushing his windpipe, Stiles wrapped his around the twins and slapped both his hands together, letting his claws lead the way so that he was released when the twins reeled back, clutching at their bleeding ears.

But as he fell to the ground, Kali was standing over Derek’s body, her hands poised to deliver a fatal blow. And all Stiles could do was scream.

“STOP!”

Everything froze.

At least Kali and the twin-alpha froze, stuck mid-motion with the twin-alpha still clutching his head and Kali’s hand hanging in the air.

It took a few seconds for Stiles’ brain to catch up with him as he realized that the other two alphas had obeyed. They were not moving. They were not doing anything. He’d shouted stop and they’d stopped.

Kali looked as shocked as the twin alpha. Her eyes widened a little in fear, taking in Stiles almost as if she was seeing him for the first time. A few seconds stretched into a minute and they were still there, doing nothing but standing in place and watching Stiles.

It was happening. Right before his eyes. Which made Stiles wonder what else he could do. He really should have asked Deaton to be a little more specific about the whole gamma-alpha business. Did it mean alphas had to obey him? If that was true, what was the down side? Because if there was anything Stiles had managed to learn from Deaton and his vague attitude it was there would always be a balance.

Like werewolves had hunters. And druids had darachs. And alphas had gamma-alphas, apparently. Nothing was ever going to exist without a counter or stronger force to keep the balance. So if Stiles was standing here, in control of two badass alphas that were most certainly about to kill him and Derek, what was Stiles supposed to fear? How could let them leave without the fear that the next time he met either of them –or Deucalion- he wasn’t going to be outmatched once again?

Before he was able to have another thought, sirens came blaring into the yard, breaking his concentration as Kali and the twins took off into the night just when his dad’s cruiser slid into the drive and the Sheriff was bounding out of the car, worry covering his features.

“What’s going? Stiles, who were those people?” He father asked as Stiles rushed to Derek’s side to check and confirm that Derek was still breathing. “Is that… is that Derek Hale?”

\-----

Unable to convince his father that Derek wasn’t about to die, Stiles had to sit through a twenty minute ride to the hospital in an ambulance, stuck between relief that Derek’s wounds weren’t healing and the fear that Derek’s wounds were _not healing_. The paramedics had taken note of his scars and were administering pain killers and trying to keep him alive, and stiles could not imagine what they’d think if Derek was wounded one second and completely fine the next.

By the time they got to the hospital and he got checked in, Stiles was pleased when Melissa was assigned to Derek’s care.

“Why is he not healing?” She asked, looking worried but oddly determined. “I thought you people healed, like, super-fast.”

“I don’t know why he’s like that.”

“What happened to him?”

“Two… three alphas attacked him.”

“He’s not healing at all, Stiles.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Melissa.”

“Where’s Scott?”

Stiles hadn’t called him. He hadn’t even thought about calling Scott.

“I haven’t called him. I don’t have my phone on me.”

“I’ll be right back.” Melisa said, disappearing from the room.

Alone with Derek’s unconscious body, Stiles inched closer, wondering if he could hold him. If it was possible to help with the pain. As he took Derek’s hand, he closed his eyes and willed Derek to feel better. This was something that had never worked for him as a beta, as a gamma. But he was an alpha now.

As the thought occurred to him, he sighed in relief as the dark, thick veins appeared on Derek’s arm and began creeping now to Stiles and disappearing in his own skin with a dull ache to match, at the back of his skull. When he tried to take his hand away, Derek held on, turning around in his unconsciousness.

“Stiles.” Derek said breathlessly, with his eyes still closed. “Don’t leave me.”

After the night he’d just had and considering all the shit he was sure tomorrow was going to bring, Stiles was not about to pretend he hadn’t heard those words slip from Derek’s lips. Maybe he’d just confirmed something new about himself, or maybe he’d learned a lot more than his brain could compute at the moment, but standing there in the hospital room with Derek clutching at his hand like he was, Stiles didn’t think he’d be able to leave.

Stiles held on as well, clasping Derek’s hand in both of his.

“I’m not going anywhere.” He said, pulling a chair close to the bed with his leg as he sat. “I’m not going anywhere at all.”


	4. Chapter 4

Long after Derek had lapsed back into unconsciousness and his hand had relaxed around Stiles’, Stiles refused to let go. He felt as if the slightest moment would wake Derek again and then Derek would have to deal with the pain of the unhealing scars on his body.

Using his left hand, he lifted the garb Derek was wearing to reveal the bandaged wounds as he died a little on the inside. Kali had done this. Ethan and Aiden had done this. The alpha pack had already taken so much from Derek, Stiles knew he wasn’t going to let anymore of that happen. Not if he could help it. Not when he had the kind of power he now knew that he possessed.

Still deep in thought, he barely registered the room door sliding open as his father entered and Stiles tried to clean the tears from his eyes, ignoring the confused look the Sheriff was giving him.

“I didn’t know you were close to Derek Hale.”

“I’m not.” He said. While he and Derek fucked like bunnies once a month, Stiles was aware that he wasn’t allowed within a mile radius of the other alpha on any normal day. Unless there was some threat that they had to figure out or fight. Which wasn’t exactly the best of circumstances to get to know someone.

“But you said he came to the house after he’d been beaten up. Those… thugs followed him there.”

Stiles didn’t reply.

“Help me out here, kiddo.” The Sheriff said, moving closer to Stiles and getting rid of his notepad as if trying to let Stiles know that this was no longer about the witness account. This was about a father talking to his son. Stiles got that. He understood that. But there was nothing he could do about it. Not now anyway.

“I don’t know why he came to the house, Dad.” Stiles said. “He was being pursued. Maybe he was looking for shelter at the Sheriff’s home.”

“Why didn’t he come to the station then?”

“The house was closer?”

His father did not believe. That much was obvious. Especially since his eyes couldn’t seem to look away from where Stiles was holding on to Derek’s hand.

“If there’s something going on… if you’re being hurt in anyway-”

“It’s not what you think, Dad.” He rushed.

“What do you expect me to think?” He said, almost angry. “My seventeen year old son is sitting in the hospital and looking after a man that he’d accused of being a murderer. Twice. What am I supposed to take from that? And don’t get me started on the people that were after him. What would have happened if I didn’t come home? Would they have hurt you too? Are you in danger?” Stepped close to Stiles. “Stiles, is my son in danger?”

Stiles stood, trying to move away but this caused his hand to move away as Derek groaned in his sleep and the Sheriff stopped, looking from Stiles to Derek again in alarm.

“I can’t help you if you won’t tell me what’s going on.”

“I’m fine.” Stiles said, knowing he had to believe that. He had to be fine. He wasn’t going to be able to deal with all this if he let the last couple of days catch up to him.

Pursing his lips and retreating, the Sheriff put his cap back on and headed for the door.

“Hey Dad?” He called, causing the Sheriff to turn. “Can I use your phone?”

Shaking his head, the Sheriff pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it to Stiles, before he left the room completely.

_____

Stiles should have known he wouldn’t get a reasonable answer from the Druid. Not when history had told him as much.

“I should heal him by _hurting_ him more?” He asked, failing to hide his irritation with Deaton.

“His healing has been shut off from receiving too many injuries, too fast from very strong opponents. It’s been a while since then and I’m sure by now the body is no longer in shock from the pain. He’s still feeling it but his healing isn’t functional. You need to kick start it.”

“By hurting him.” Stiles said, staring at the phone in his hand.

“Just a nick, Stiles. Use a claw and give him a tiny mark. If that heals, then the rest should be easy.”

Stiles cut the call and took a few deep breaths as he unsheathed his claws. Derek’s arm was bare and before him. He could do this. If it worked, good. If it didn’t, then it was just a tiny wound. No biggie.

He sliced through Derek’s skin and waited, watching the blood in Derek’s body realize there was an opening as the wound slowly began to turn red. But by the time the first drop slid past, the other end of the wound started to close up and Stiles sighed in relief, as he stood up and began pacing the room.

 _You’re going to be fine, Derek_ , he thought. _You’re going to get out of this, I swear._

When he heard footsteps outside the room, he looked up just in time to see Scott come barreling in.

“What happened to him?”

“Kali and the twins.” Stiles said, facing Derek again. “They followed him all the way to my house. They tried to kill him, Scott. Because I killed Ennis. They weren’t even trying to turn him to their side anymore. They just wanted to kill him. Because of me.”

“Stiles calm down.” Scott was saying, holding Stiles on both shoulders and trying to ground him. “We’re in a hospital. He’ll be fine.”

“He’ll be fine.”

Stiles sat back as Scott waited, watching over him like he expected that Stiles would break any second.

“They’ll be back.” Stiles said. “Deucalion…” He trailed of as his voice failed him the moment the name left his lips. But Stiles refused to tremble. He refused the need to hunch in on himself as his mind tried to take him back a day. “I did something to Kali and the twins.”

“What did you do?”

“I-

“ _SOMEONE… SOMEONE HELP ME_!” Stiles and Scott’s heads shot up in unison as they picked up the voice. “ _I NEED HELP!_ ” Ethan’s voice sounded through the hospital and into Derek’s room.

_____

As they got to the front desk, Ethan was pulling Danny over his shoulder as Danny struggled to breathe. As Scott rushed to help his mom and Ethan situate Danny on a chair, Stiles couldn’t move. Ethan was here. Ethan was right there. In the same hospital Derek was. He could hurt Derek. He could hurt Stiles.

But Stiles was alpha now. And with Aiden missing, Ethan was not.

By the time Stiles started towards them, Scott was pushing Ethan away from Danny while Melissa checked on Danny, so Stiles quietly slid between them, standing beside Scott and blocking Ethan from Danny.

“What the hell did you do to him?” Scott raged.

“Nothing.” Ethan replied. “He said he was having chest pains and trouble breathing but it just kept getting worse.

“This is not good.” Melissa noted. “HOW MUCH LONGER ON DR. HILLIARD?” She asked the nurse by the desk as the other nurse shrugged. “His larynx has shifted to the side. I think it’s a tension pneumothorax-”

Danny lurched forward and threw up, causing Stiles, Scott and Ethan to back up as Melissa rushed back to Danny’s side. Stiles took in the unusual lumps in the vomit on the floor, noting the strange smell and the oddly preserved nature of what looked like leaves mixed with the bits of food that was well on its way to digestion before Danny threw up.

“Mistletoe.” Ethan whispered, but it was loud enough for Scott and Stiles to pick up.

“Why is there mistletoe inside of him? What does it have to do with anything?” Scott asked.

“I don’t know.” Ethan said. Pushing past Scott, Stiles grabbed Ethan by the cape and shoved him against the wall.

“Tell me!” He said as Ethan’s eyes focused on Stiles for a second and then he just started talking.

“It’s poisonous.” He began. “To wolves and humans.”

“I know that already but what does it mean to you?” Stiles said. “Why would someone put that much mistletoe into Danny? And how the hell did he digest it without seeing it?”

“Magic.” Ethan blurted out. “That’s the best I got, I swear. Mistletoe and manipulation… that’s druid stuff. Maybe if you asked your druid, you’d know more than me.”

Stiles stared him in the eye till he was sure Ethan was done talking. Then he stepped away, allowing him to fall to his feet as Ethan scrambled away from Stiles and moved a few more feet just as a gurney was arriving and Danny was being helped unto it.

“Leave.” Stiles said to Ethan.

As Ethan turned to go, Stiles heard Scott speak to his mother.

“Mom, maybe you should move him to Derek’s room.”

“Why?” His mother asked. “What’s going on?”

“It’s supernatural, mom. If they’re together, we can look after them while you work. You’re understaffed today, right?”

“Yes. And we’re missing two doctors… three, if you count Dr. Hilliard.”

“Three doctors are missing?” Scott asked as Stiles’ eyes met with his best friend’s.

“Three healers.” Stiles said.

“It’s not a druid doing this.”

“It’s the Darach.”

_____

A few seconds after Danny was rolled into Derek’s room, Melissa arrived carrying a large needle.

“Scott, rip his shirt off. Stiles grab the tape.”

As the boys get to work, she turns to the other side of Danny’s bed and takes deep breaths, waiting for Danny’s chest to open up before her. Then while they’re watching her, to Stiles ultimate horror, she jams a ten inch needle into Danny’s chest as they all startle in fear, watching her badass her way into saving Danny.

When she pulled out the needle, Danny lay there, motionless and almost unbreathing but seconds later, he inhaled and nearly rose off the bed as Stiles nearly cried from relief.

Twice. Twice in one night, Stiles’ heart had nearly broken from possible death. Another bad thing couldn’t happen. Not yet. Not unless the universe was just trying to screw with all of them and get them to quit.

“Thank you.” Danny said to Melissa.

“It was… eh, no problem, you know? It wasn’t a big deal.” She said, still trying to catch her breath. She walked away from Danny and leaned in to Stiles and Scott. “Call me if anything changes. With either of them.” She nodded in the direction of Derek’s bed.

“We need to find Dr. Hilliard and the others.” Scott said, already moving for the door with his mother. “Stiles?”

“I’ll stay with Danny and Derek.”

“Okay.”

And once again, Stiles the only conscious person in the room.

He couldn’t sleep. He knew he wouldn’t be able to. So he dragged the seat he’d been on from beside Derek’s bed and placed it between the curtains blocking Derek's bed and Danny’s beds and sat, feeling stiff and uncomfortable. Not knowing what to do with himself, he shifted closer to Derek’s bed and pulled open the curtains away, hoping to hold Derek’s hand again.

But there was no hand there.

Scared and angry, he pulled the covers off the bed and whimpered at the emptiness of it.

Derek was gone.

While his first thought was to imagine that Ethan had been a distraction, Stiles had to remind himself that Ethan couldn’t have lied to him. Ethan couldn’t have even known Derek was here.

If Derek was gone, he’d left of his own volition. And he’d left Stiles.

Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big happy welcome to Danny!


	5. Chapter 5

With the sun coming up that morning, Stiles found himself sitting by the window as he held his dad’s phone in his hand where he’d typed Derek’s phone number in but hadn’t found the courage to hit dial yet. He knew that he could sit there all day and worry and wonder and imagine all the wrong reasons to go after Derek.

Or, he could just call like a normal person. Give Derek a chance to ignore him but not to his face. Stiles knew that was what was going to happen anyway so why would he deny it to himself. He yawned wide and free and looked over at Danny’s bed where two bright eyes were blinking back at him.

“How long have you been awake?” Stiles asked, getting to his feet.

“You’re different.” Danny commented immediately, trying to sit up before he gave up and settled back into his pillow and Derek’s pillow that Stiles had stolen for Danny a few hours earlier.

“What?” Stiles asked.

“You’re… I’d say calm but that’s not the word I’m looking for.”

Stiles didn’t need anyone telling him he seemed different. He _was_ different. He was an alpha now. He was stronger now. He’d been through… He was _better_ now. If Danny was reading Stiles’ newly acquired calm as anything else, then that was Danny’s own bias and had not a depiction of the wringer Stiles had recently been put through.

And that was how Stiles was going to see it.

“Are you okay? Do you remember what happened to you?”

“Yes.” Danny said, trying to sit up again and actually succeeding but with a hard grimace as he pressed against the spot on his chest where Melissa had jammed a ten inch needle into him.

“Are you sure?” Stiles asked, already slipping into cover-up mode just in case Danny heard or saw anything supernatural. “It could have been anything. Maybe you hit your head. Don’t try to recover all your memories so soon.”

Danny regarded Stiles with his eyebrows pinched and his whole body suddenly tense with suspicion.

“You know something.” Danny accused. “You’re just like Mr. Harris.”

“What are you talking about?”

Danny scoffed and shook his head and stood to his feet.

“Where is my book bag?”

“Danny, you need to sit down. You were hurt last night.”

“I was targeted.” He said, searching around the room frantically like a mad person.

“Why would anyone target you?”

“Because I know things, okay?” Danny stopped. “I shouldn’t even be talking to you.” He said, backing away from Stiles. “You’re either one of them or you know something. Why else would you say that to me?”

“I don’t know anything-”

“You’re all trying to kill me-”

“If you’ll notice, Melissa saved your life last night.”

“And now you’re here to keep tabs on me.” Danny said making his way to the door as Stiles cut him off, but he must have forgotten that Danny was an athlete because the other boy faked a left and when Stiles fell for it, he delved right, his hand stretched out for the door in a serious haste to make.

Frustrated and a little on edge, Stiles lunged and grabbed the door, slamming it shut as he pinned Danny’s back to it. Before his eyes, Danny’s grew a couple of sizes as Danny looked back at him in wonder, fear and a little bit of curiosity.

“You can’t say you don’t know anything anymore.” Danny said. “I’m pretty sure your eyes weren’t that color a few seconds ago.”

Stiles checked the see through glass on the door behind Danny and, surely, his eyes were glowing green.

_____

Derek needed to leave Beacon Hills. ASAP.

He wasn’t being a coward. He definitely was not. But he just needed to get his sister, his pack, his shit and get the hell out of dodge. Or at least until the Alpha Pack cleared out. He couldn’t afford to lose another pack. Not when they’d only just survived Gerard. He’d promised he’d do better. Which meant assessing the situation.

He climbed up the stairs, wondering how he was going to break this to them, but nothing had prepared him for the sight he witnessed when he opened the door.

Lying in the sitting room, in a pile of comfort and sleep was his sister, Boyd and Isaac. Derek had forgotten that while he usually got missing during the New Moon, his pack always spent nights cuddling in front of the TV. They may not have been feeling the desertion of the moon, but they were still wolves. And they craved a connection. A connection that they’d never had a way to build until Cora came back into their live and started making Boyd and Isaac spend the night with her… just like the Hales used.

Even Peter, who was never EVER welcome was always present. Granted he always took the couch farthest from the pile, but still, whenever Derek returned, it was to find that his prissy, nagging uncle had spent at least one night not sleeping on his bed.

At first, it had rubbed Derek the wrong way to realize that he’d been building himself an army. An army made up of kids who only just wanted a family. But with Cora’s arrival, they were getting a little bit of family. Even though Derek had forgotten that a pack could be an army and a family Cora had returned with little traditions like Pack Cuddle Nights, or Shifting Weekends, or sleeping outside on the roof in what she called Communing with the Moon when really, Cora only did that when she couldn’t sleep well. When he’d remembered what pack was supposed to be… what Cora was adding to it, Derek started encourage it.

Before he left on the New Moon, he’d usually ask about their plans, leave behind some money, stock up the fridge and hope they wouldn’t need to leave the loft unless it was for a shifted run through the woods.

Seeing them asleep just served to remind Derek how horrible what he was about to do was. They were wolves. They were territorial. For the first time in years, this ragtag group of people was learning to settle down and find comfort and love.

And Derek was about to tear all that away.

_____

“What are you?” Danny asked as Stiles took a few steps back, blinking and letting his eyes return to normal. “Your eyes… Stiles.”

“Danny-”

“Are you a druid, too?” Danny asked and Stiles stopped moving to look at the other boy. “You are, aren’t you?”

“I’m not.”

“You’re something.”

“I’ll go call Melissa so that she can check you out.” He tried to walk passed Danny, but Danny stepped in front of him.

“Talk to me, okay? I know some of it already.”

“Forget everything you’ve seen here.”

“I CAN’T DO THAT!” Danny screamed, pulling at his hair.

“You don’t want to be part of this world.”

“This world is Beacon Hills. I live in Beacon Hills.”

“I didn’t last long in it before I was turned into… this! If you want my advice, Danny, get your stuff, get out of here and pretend you never saw or heard anything.”

“Well, I don’t want your advice, Stiles. I can take care of myself.”

“Not against…” Stiles stopped and took in a deep breath, praying his wolf hadn’t come out again. Praying that that wasn’t why Danny had just opened his eyes in shock a few seconds ago. “I am trying to save your life.”

“If I leave here, Stiles, I’m just going to keep digging on my own. Wouldn’t it make sense to have some back up?”

Stiles remembered being where Danny was. He remembered thinking it was his right to know everything. He just had to and the compulsion to know had managed to focus his attention more than anything he’d ever known in his life. But that hadn’t lasted long. Weeks of following Scott around and trying to help save his friend’s life had, somehow led to Stiles becoming a wolf. Which had led to him being alpha-bait. Which had caught Deucalion’s attention and he’d been-

Stiles shook his head, stepping away from Danny.

“You want to get yourself killed or worse, Danny. Go ahead.” Stiles said. “I’m not going to be a part of it.”

“My life is already in danger.”

“All the more reason to drop it.”

“Someone tried to kill me last night, Stiles.” Danny pointed out, moving around the room and searching until he came up with his book bag in his hand and stood before Stiles. “Someone- something supernatural wanted me dead. Would you like to know why?” He asked.

Stiles’ interest spiked, thinking about it. The Darach. The Darach was interested Danny enough to poison him. If Danny was already on the Darach’s radar, then he was very valuable. AND, his life was already in a lot of danger.

“Why do you think you were targeted?” Stiles asked, turning to face Danny as the other boy shifted, putting himself between his book bag and Stiles.

“That’s not how this is going to work, Stiles.”

“I’m agreeing to look out for you Danny-”

“Yeah, but if I’m going to share any information with you, you’ll have to do the same.”

“I can’t.”

“Either you start talking, Stiles, or I start walking.” He said, meeting Stiles at the door once again, and opening it, but Stiles placed his hand on the door and slammed it shut.

“Fine.”


	6. Chapter 6

 “I was doing a project for Mr. Harris’ Physics class.” Danny said, straightening out a paper.

“On what?”

“Telluric currents.”

“Like lay lines?” Stiles asked just as Danny stared back at him, a little impressed. “I stress read.”

“Yeah, it’s usually used to explore the structure beneath the earth’s surface… you know? For industrial integrity and all that. And I was doing research on the link between telluric currents and the different arms of industry and which one could possibly operate out of Beacon Hills. So I started doing research in the area.”

He opened the paper and went to a particular page where there was an aerial view of the site.

“I got a map from the internet but here’s the funny thing. Even though the currents move all over the preserve and sneak into parts of town, I could never account for this part.”

He pointed at the centre where he’d drawn the currents using only black ink while the rest was colored.

“I made it to the outskirts of the entire thing by looking out for landmarks and such but I’ll admit, I couldn’t exactly map the entire thing. It’d take months. This is just a school paper.”

“So what happened to the centre?”

“I don’t know.” Danny said. “I could never find it. See this marking here, at the very middle?” He asked as Stiles nodded. “It’s the sign for trees. I had an original map that didn’t include trees but can you take a look at the size of the trees around it? Compare it to the size of the one at the centre. It’s not the same. It’s the hugest tree on the preserve.”

Stiles nodded, looking around at the tinier markings of other trees.

“I rode my bike across the preserve in as straight a line as I could from three sides to the opposite end, Stiles.” He said. “I never saw any tree that size. Taking into account the ratio of its size on the map to the other trees that I did find, I’d say it was twenty feet across.”

“Maybe it’s not a tree anymore.”

Danny shook his head.

“I thought of that. I even searched for a stump or something… but nothing. I could never find it. But it’s on the map.”

Stiles wished he had his laptop. He wished he could do some research. Reading always calmed him down. It helped him think. Having a group of friends always in need of information kept Stiles centered in his body. But here he was, seeking information from someone else and it was driving him crazy.

“What does this have to do with why you were poisoned?”

Danny turned over another page to the same map. But this time, there were eight markings along the currents.

“What’s that?”

“The murders that have been occurring in Beacon Hills.” He said, looking at Stiles. “Someone is using the telluric currents to kill people. And if the pattern follows, seven more people are going to die.”

 “Six people.” Stiles said, standing to his feet and pacing around the room.

“Six people?” Danny asked.

“Dr. Hilliard was kidnapped last night. At least we think she was.” He stopped at the window. “She was the third healer.”

“So you _do_ know what I’m talking about?” Danny asked.

“I’m not a druid, Danny.”

“I know you’re not. But I’d be stupid to assume that that was the only kind of supernatural being there was, wouldn’t I?” Danny asked, going back to his paper. “I sorta, kinda abandoned my original research in favor of researching the more… supernatural side of telluric currents. I searched currents and trees and murders. Turns out that Druids love Beacon Hills. Because of something called the Sacred Grove that resides in the preserve. Guess where it’s rumored to be.”

“The centre of the telluric current.”

“Exactly! It’s supposed to be really bit. It’s old and powerful and there’s a huge possibility that the one in Beacon Hills might be dead.”

“Why do you say that?” Stiles asked, looking down at the next page where a huge tree was.

“Because of the murders. It says that if a Sacred Grove dies… if it can’t function anymore, druids get together and offer up themselves to bring it back to life. Fifteen of them.”

“Danny, you can’t really expect me to believe that Heather is… was a druid.”

“She wasn’t.” Danny said, looking sad. “This druid isn’t following the rules.”

“It’s not a druid, Danny.” Stiles said, realizing that this joined in with what Deaton had told them. “It’s a Darach.”

“A dark druid.” Danny agreed. “I was getting to that. He’s killing innocents and using them for the sacrifice. It says that fifteen druids are supposed to be sacrificed in threes. Three virgin druids, three warrior druids, three healers, three philosophers… and three guardians.” He answered. “This paper is on the murders and the telluric currents and the druids, but Mr. Harris canceled it. Called it scifi-fantasy. Then he said none of it was real and that nothing called a Nemeton existed in Beacon Hills. Which was when I started suspecting him.”

“Danny, I know Mr. Harris is sketchy as hell but what does that have to do with it? He’s a teacher. He can refuse a paper or not.”

“Yeah, but I never called the Sacred Grove a Nemeton, did I?” Danny said. “He knew that part all on his own.”

Stiles blinked, realizing that Danny had actually been talking about Sacred Grove until he mentioned Mr. Harris. If Mr. Harris had known about druids and Sacred Groves all along, then it made sense that he’d be trying to hide it from Danny… just like Stiles had been doing.

But Mr. Harris was dead now and someone had tried to poison Danny. This was serious as hell.

“Now!” Danny said eagerly. “Your turn.”

“My turn.”

“Yes. Tell me everything. Starting with what you are and what the hell is going on in this town.”

_____

Derek could not believe this. He’d just given his pack an order. A freaking order! Boyd looked ready to comply while Isaac looked conflicted, but Cora had said no.

“Cora Hale-”

“DEREK HALE!” She charged, folding her arms and looking up at her brother. “You will not intimidate me.”

“I’m your alpha.”

“Then act like it.”

“Cora what do you think I’m trying to do?”

“You’re running away!”

“I’m protecting you guys. The alpha pack wants to kill me now. What do you think they’ll do if they get their hands on you guys?”

“Let us stand and fight, Derek.”

“Stand and fight with what?” he asked. “No offense, but a pack of teenage betas isn’t going to amount to much against an alpha pack of adults.”

“If I may-” Peter began.

“Shut up, Peter!” Derek hissed. “If we’re lucky, we’ll get today free. But what will happen when tomorrow comes and they come after you? After us?”

“We’re the Beacon Hills Pack, Derek. This is our home. We’re supposed to protect it.”

“Like mom and dad did?” Derek asked, feeling like a devil for bringing that up. “Because, Cora, they gave their everything to Beacon Hills but even that was never enough.”

“How could you say that to me?” Cora said, shaking with barely contained rage. “I’m not leaving, Derek. Think about the people that rely on us. What about Scott?”

“You don’t care about Scott McCall.”

“What about Stiles then?” She asked as Derek froze. He took a couple of breaths, trying to calm himself before he continued.

“Stiles is not part of the pack.”

“He is something, though, Derek.”

“He’s not up for discussion.”

“You’re going to have to clobber me over the head to take me anywhere Derek.” She said.

“If I have to.” Derek vowed, advancing on his sister as she crouched, ready for his attack.

But then Boyd jumped between them, holding his hands up at the alpha with a slight tilt of his head.

“I have an idea.”

“Unless that idea includes us getting out of Beacon Hills, I don’t want to hear it.”

“When Erica and I were being held captive, Gerard hooked us up to electricity for hours.” Boyd said. “I’m thinking we could have the building hooked up and ready before tonight. If anyone comes, we’ll be prepared.”

“That’s not-”

Derek’s hackles rose as the door to the apartment door pulled open. Maybe his death was coming earlier than he’d expected.

But as they door opened more and more, Derek realized before he even saw her that his life was not in any immediate danger.

“Jennifer?” he asked, moving towards her as his pack stood around, refusing to move.

“I was hoping I’d come by today. See if you were okay. You weren’t picking my calls yesterday.” When she looked over Derek’s shoulder at the others, he took her by the waist and ushered her outside.

“Let’s talk out there. Privacy.”

He needed to get rid of her. Fast. If he was going to leave with his pack, the last thing he’d want was for the Alpha Pack to arrive and catch her scent in the building.

_____

“So almost everyone on the Lacrosse team is a wolf? My boyfriend is a wolf. Lydia’s boyfriend is a wolf. Together they,” He clasped both his hands together. “Make an alpha?”

“You’re making it sound stupid.”

“If I hadn’t just told you a story about a magical tree, I’d think we were both stupid.”

“I’m a wolf too.” Stiles offered, letting his hangs drop and his eyes flash, as Danny shrieked and leaped across the room, away from him. “Sorry. Sorry. I should have warned you.

“It’s fine.” Danny said, his heart hammering away in his chest like he honestly believed he was anything but fine. “It’s fine. You’re a wolf. It’s cool. It’s not. But it is. It’s fine.”

“We can stop-”

“I need to know, Stiles.” He said, squaring his shoulders and standing just as the door opened and Melissa came in.

“Good.” She said to Danny. “You’re on your feet. Where’s Derek?”

“Uh… he left.”

“Oh god! You kids. Does he not know that he needs to be signed out? This is not a night club. You cannot just come and go as you please.” Then she looked between the two boys. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” Danny said.

“He’s fine. He’s just… a little freaked out.”

“About what? Stiles, you can’t freak out my patients.” Melissa chided.

“He’s the one who asked about the supernatural.”

“You told him!” She said, closing the door behind her as her voice fell to a whisper.

“He asked.” Stiles defended, feeling like a kid again as Melissa joined the two of them.

“I understand that this must be hard.” She said, pulling Danny away from the window.

“Are you a wolf too?”

“I’m very, very human. Trust me.”

“Okay.” Danny said, following her to the be. “But Scott is?”

“Someone bit him last year.”

“Everyone else is a wolf, Mrs. McCall.”

“Call me Melissa.”

“Melissa.” he corrected.

“Listen, I have to sign you out because you’re doing better. But feel free to stop by and talk. Anytime. Things can get a little crazy and my son and his friends never know when to… stop.”

“Because there’s always something trying to kill us.” Stiles offered.

“Not helping.” Melissa said to him.

“Sorry.” Stiles waved his hand and went around the room, gathering Danny’s things while Melissa spoke to Danny.

_____

Derek stood outside the loft with Jennifer, who looked and felt very anxious. He wasn’t going to blame her though. He knew he was probably generating enough anger to smolder a bus of chimpanzees, but he couldn’t figure out a way to turn it down.

He’d gone two nights… TWO NIGHTS, without a beta. Usually, if he got his fix that first night, Derek was sane and able enough to leave and survive the second two on his own. Ever since he became an alpha, Derek had been spoiled. He always had Stiles. No matter how he behaved, he would always have Stiles.

Stiles was an alpha, now.

And Derek’s pack mates were being dicks. Well, mostly Cora. But it wasn’t like Isaac and Boyd were eager to obey his last order and Peter was just, as always, unhelpful.

“I can’t see you anymore.” Derek blurted out as she stared at him in shock. “I’m sorry.”

“Was it something I did?” She asked, stepping closer t touch him, but Derek stepped away. He was too on edge for any sort of contact. The sun might be out, it might be day, but Derek could still feel the vacancy of the moon in the sky and it wasn’t helping. Nothing was.

“It’s not you,” _It’s me_ , he stopped himself from saying. He couldn’t be with her. There was no reason to string her along when he was going to leave town anyway. “You have to go.”

“No.” She said, firmly. “I deserve an explanation.”

“I can’t give you one, Jennifer.” Derek said, feeling frustrated. “All you’re going to do is get hurt and right now, I’m not sure I can live with that.”

“Is that the only reason?” She asked. “Tell me the truth. If there’s someone else-”

“There’s no one else.” He lied. “Honestly, Jennifer, you need to go.” He said, unable to keep lying to her as he turned around, opened the door and entered, pulling it shut behind him.

A moment, he was allowed a moment of respite to fall against the door in fatigue as he tried to regain his strength. He couldn’t go on like this. He needed to rest. He needed to sleep. He’d barely survived an attack from a pack of alphas and now he was supposed to be running for his life.

When he opened his eyes, his pack was around him, looking at him with worry as he pushed away from the door.

“We’re leaving.”

“We have a plan.” Cora said.

“What plan?” Derek asked back. “You want to electrocute a pack of alphas? You’re forgetting that the plan hinges on electricity. Electricity that can be cut from outside the building… or above the building. We could be in here and they’d destroy the freaking plan before we even got to execute it.”

“Which is why we have a Plan B.” Isaac said, smiling cheekily.

“What Plan B?”

“Actually,” Peter said, raising a finger above his head at the alpha. “It’s more of a Plan _V_ , if you ask me. As in, the Hale Family _Vault_!”

_____

That evening, Stiles sat on the floor of Danny’s room, facing the TV that was turned on but neither of them were paying attention to. Even though Stiles had rode the ambulance to the hospital, his dad had had one of the deputies bring Stiles’ jeep to the hospital. So after Stiles had driven Danny home and the other boy seemed a little out of it, he’d invited himself in and introduced himself to Danny’s father and followed his classmate up the stairs.

A part of him felt responsible for Danny. And he could relate. He’d once been the human boy who knew too much… who was scared out of his mind that there were things out there that his father could not protect him from.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Danny said.

“Wanna hear something funny?” Stiles asked.

“What?”

“What has two thumbs but is an alpha with no pack?” Stiles asked with his thumbs pointing in his direction. He tried to laugh but Danny didn’t laugh too.

“I thought you and Scott were in a pack.”

“Scott’s an alpha in his own right!” Stiles said, turning away. “I mean, he didn’t kill anyone or anything like that, but he’s the leader. And packs aren’t supposed to have two alphas. Well, unless you count the Alpha Pack.”

“What’s an Alpha Pack?”

“A pack made of alphas.”

Danny let out a dry laugh, nodding as his eyes went back to the TV.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”

“You’ll live.” Stiles said. “I did.”

“Your dad’s the sheriff.”

“He doesn’t anything… about any of this.”

Danny nodded in understanding.

They continued to not watch the TV before them.

Later when his mother came home, she visited them with Dinner and some drinks while Danny stood to hug and kiss her.

“I don’t believe I’ve seen you around here.” She said as Stiles stood to his feet.

“My name is Stiles, Mrs. Mahealanhi.” Stiles offered.

“The sheriff’s kid?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Good company.” She nodded on her way out, as she shut the door.

“I like your mom.”

Danny laughed and brought the tray down to drop before the TV for both of them.

“She’s awesome.”

Stiles agreed, itching at his neck and trying to clear his throat.

“Pancakes for dinner?” He asked. “My mom used to make pancakes for dinner.”

“She’s refused to accept that I’m not six anymore.”

“Yeah.” Stiles agreed as he used the edge of his shirt to wipe away a few beads of sweat from his forehead. “Is it hot? I feel hot.” Stiles said, fanning himself.

“It’s okay.” Danny said, looking at him in worry. “Stiles,” He touched Stiles’ forehead. “You’re burning up.”

“I don’t know. I feel hot.” He tried to follow Danny’s hand but in the process, his dick got squeezed between his thigh and his pants. He couldn’t help the moan that escaped from him before he covered his mouth in mortification.

“What the hell?” Danny asked, leaning away, but Stiles took him by the neck and held him steady, sniffing along and searching… for something.

 “Dude!” Danny said.

“I’m sorry.” Stiles said into Danny’s neck. “I’m sorta horny.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way-”

“I don’t want to fuck you either, Danny.” Stiles said, unable to stop his roaming hands as Danny shrieked and tried to move away again. “I’m sorry. Sorry.” Stiles said, consciously pushing away from the other boy. This was so wrong. None of it was okay.

“Is this a wolf thing?” Danny asked shakily.

It was definitely a wolf thing. Stiles was horny on a night with a New Moon. It wasn’t very hard to figure out what was wrong. It also didn’t take long to realize that even though he was rutting, he didn’t want any of the betas he knew.

Stiles wanted an alpha.


	7. Chapter 7

Danny drove up the road, trying to focus on the uneven path and not the boy currently groaning at the back of the jeep.

“We’re almost there.” Danny said; worry lacing his thoughts for Stiles. His night… his day had been a clusterfuck of too much information. Now here he was, driving his teammate to a house in the forest that he’d never been to, simply because his obviously, delusional teammate told him to. In his lack of attention, he’d run over a log or a bump of some kind, causing Stiles to whimper as Danny winced. “Sorry.”

“Are we there yet?” Stiles asked.

“We’re here.” Danny said, looking up at the deserted-looking apartment building in the clearing before them. He would have sworn no one lived there but the black Camaro and grey Toyota Yaris parked at the front of the building say otherwise. Beside them was a bicycle, chained to the wall and secured with a standard bicycle lock. No sooner had the car come to a stop, did Stiles kick open the door and stumble out.

“WAIT! Wait.” Danny called, running out of the car to catch up. He ending up slinging the other boy’s arm over his shoulder and helping him stagger towards the building.

“I can feel you worrying about me. Stop it.” Stiles wheezed, already trying to squirm his arm off of Danny’s shoulder.

“You’re crazy.” Danny said incredulously, shifting his grip on Stiles’ arm. “If I didn't know you are a werewolf now, I would have ignored you and your insane request.”

“I need Derek.”

“Yeah, you said that already.”

“I need to fuck Derek.”

“Too much information, Wolf Boy.”

Stiles stumbled as he laughed a little. In the midst of all the crazy, Danny couldn’t help the tiny smile that played on his lips as well.

_____

Peter helped the other Betas move Derek’s furniture away from the windows while Derek stood around looking constipated. His shoulders were hunched with uncertainty so Peter knew he still had some convincing to do.

“Are we sure about this?” Derek asked.

“Trust me, nephew,” Peter said, trying not to feel insulted. “It’ll work.”

“Mom hid it for a reason.” Derek said, scowling.

“An Alpha Pack wants to kill her son. I’m sure this is a good reason to bring it out.”

Derek opened his mouth to reply- then stopped before he could, sniffing the air in deep breaths. Peter stopped too, mirroring Derek’s reaction. He’d know that scent, anywhere. Peter would know that _breathing pattern_ anywhere.

Stiles was on the premises, and he smelled… delicious.

Derek started towards the door as Peter heard a tiny knock on it before it was pulled open by Stiles and another boy. Stiles fell through the open door, haggard-looking and unsteady and suddenly, the room instantly flooded with what could only be described as the best aroma on the planet.

When Peter took a step in Stiles’ direction, he was cut off as Derek growled at him, causing Peter to pause in concern. He shook his head, trying to remind himself of the situation. Yes, this was Stiles. But this was also Stiles who’d been spending months and months as Derek’s... gamma. He belonged to Derek now. He wasn’t Peter’s. No matter how good he smelled. No matter how much Peter wanted to ignore the alpha’s warning and rush to Stiles. Peter stayed put and watched as Derek stalked towards Stiles.

“Get me up, Derek.” Stiles ordered, his eyes flashing a bright _green_ as Derek reached for him. “I need… I need…”

“I got you.” Derek said, sweeping his hands behind Stiles’ back and knees as he lifted him from the floor and marched up the stairs.

Peter stood rooted to the spot.

Stiles had green eyes.

Stiles... _had green eyes_.

Peter knew the lore of Gammas. He knew what would happen if a Gamma were to kill an Alpha. Which was why Stiles scent was so glorious. Which was why he was so weak with heat. Which was why his eyes shone beautiful and green.

Peter had unwittingly created a Gamma-Alpha.

“Hello.” the boy who’d came into the loft with Stiles said, with an awkward wave. “I’m Danny.”

Peter didn’t care who Danny was. How could he? How could anything else matter? Peter couldn’t think of anything else when Derek had just taken Stiles upstairs. He couldn’t bring himself to understand that, at the moment, his alpha was fucking the gamma that Peter had created... _for himself_.

_____

Derek had barely laid Stiles on the bed before Stiles grabbed him by the face and pulled him down into a bruising kiss.

“Okay.” he agreed, getting into bed with Stiles. He could work with this. It was the last night of the New Moon, but even now Derek felt the slightest tingle of rut. Yet, having Stiles here with him, the rut seemed to have been pushed to the back of his mind. All he could suddenly think of was giving his Gamma more pleasure. “Anything you want.”

“I want you.” Stiles said, grabbing hold of Derek’s shirt and ripping it apart in one move.

“Okay.” he said foolishly as he was suddenly put on his back with strength that Stiles very obviously didn’t possess a few seconds ago. “How...” he stuttered to a stop when Stiles started kissing and biting and scratching his way down Derek’s body. He winced when Stiles’ fangs pressed into his flesh, drawing blood. “Sti-” he cut himself off as the memory of his first time with Stiles flashed through his mind.

A tiny nick of the teeth was nothing compared to what he’d put Stiles through.

“You taste so _good_.” Stiles rasped, tearing Derek’s jeans from his body. When Derek lay naked before him, Stiles lifted himself and ripped at his own shirt before tearing away at his pants until they were both naked.

“Do you… how…. Do you want to fuck me or…” Derek asked, but Stiles didn’t seem to be listening to him, too busy diving down. His fanged mouth took in Derek’s dick, gobbling it up. Derek’s hips nearly twitched upwards into the slick heat, before he managed to freeze and stared down, wide-eyed and checking for cuts. Not only was Stiles attempting to give him a blow job with extended teeth, he was also running his hands up and down Derek’s torso with his claws slipping in and out of his fingers like he couldn’t control them. “Let me help you,” Derek said hoarsely as Stiles pulled off from his dick.

Stiles snapped his head up, _growled_ at him, eyes a wild green flare. Derek’s heart jumped to his throat.

The two of them stayed still, staring at each other and breathing heavily. Derek wondered what he should do next.

Stiles blinked, his eyes shifting back to brown. Slowly, the hair on his face began to recede, his claws slipping back into his fingertips.

“I’m sorry.” Stiles said, looking like he wanted to cry. “I didn’t mean it. I-”

“It’s fine.” Derek said, pulling the boy up until Stiles was sitting on his lap. “It’s fine, I swear. You’re rutting. You’re an alpha now. It’s normal.”

“Consent is _normal_ , Derek,” Stiles said, quivering from head to toe as his eyes kept switching between emerald and amber. “I should- I should have asked you. I should have _asked_ you.” He whispered out the last part, as if to himself.

“Stiles!” Derek said, forcing Stiles to look at him because Stiles seemed on the verge of a panic attack. “I consent!”

Stiles shook his head.

“I’m a Gamma.” he said. “You can’t consent. You can’t tell me no.”

“You didn’t ask me to,” Derek pointed out as Stiles’ eyes flashed emerald again and his fangs dropped.

“I can’t-” he sobbed, dropping his head on Derek’s chest, hips already moving again, hitching into the empty space. “I’m so horny, Derek.”

“You can fuck me. I don’t even need prep.”

Stiles breathed heavily above Derek.

“I don’t want- usually, I mean- I’ve thought about-”

“Talk to me,” Derek said.

“I want you to fuck me.” Stiles whimpered. “I want to ride you forever. I want your dick in me more than I’ve ever wanted anything else in my life right now.”

Derek frowned. Stiles was an alpha. If he was rutting, then he should be looking for somewhere to plant his seed into… someone to fuck. Like Derek had been. What Stiles was describing sounded different.

“Anything you want.” Derek said.

“Yeah. Yes, please?” Stiles said, moving further up as Derek’s hands moved to grope at his hips but slipped past when the Gamma knelt up. Before he could ask, Stiles’ his dick was in his face.

Derek had always wondered what it would be like to suck Stiles’ dick. He’d never really gotten the chance, what with their sessions always so limited to either vigorous fucking or nothing else. Derek let himself imagine it now, what it would be like to have that slim, gorgeous cock between his lips, on his tongue, down his throat. Derek’s mouth watered.

Then the guilt descended, setting upon him. This was supposed to be about Stiles. This was Stiles’ rut, Stiles’ pleasure. Derek didn’t think he was supposed to enjoy any of it. He was here as a body and nothing more. He was a dick or a hole to fuck the Gamma into lucidity. He wasn’t supposed to enjoy it. He wasn’t supposed to enjoy it. He wasn’t supposed-

But Stiles wasn’t looking for a blow job. He kept on climbing further up until he straddled Derek’s shoulders, and Derek’s hands came up to guide him onto them.

“Please.” he moaned, lifting himself into a squat above Derek’s head where his hole parted open right above Derek’s mouth, glistening and winking even though nothing was happening. “Please, Derek. Lick me there? I need it.”

Derek didn’t need to be told twice. He guided Stiles’ hips closer as he lifted his head and gave Stiles’ hole a long lick. The boy moaned, nearly falling off with how hard his hips rolled with it, but Derek’s grip on him tightened. He set a calming pace, licking up and into the wet hole firmly as Stiles pressed down unto his mouth with crushing eagerness, thighs shaking.

“Derek. Dere- _Derek_.” he whimpered, each confused and excited noise he released went straight to Derek’s dick. “Please don’t stop.” Stiles begged.

Derek hummed, not planning to stop. He'd since come to the conclusion that his orgasms would feel a lot better if he, at least, got Stiles there first. But never had he had the pleasure of feeling Stiles be so into it that it quivered through his body. Derek was sure if he licked into the air, he'd taste Stiles' want. Except... he was licking... and Stiles was wrought with want and with each begging word, Derek couldn't help it if he loved it too much. He was doing this to Stiles. He was doing this _for_ Stiles.

Suddenly, Stiles jerked away and started crawling back downward. It took him a few seconds to realise what was happening and how much he missed Stiles’ ass on his face. Derek took in a deep breath he didn’t know he’d been holding while he watched Stiles descend.  When his mind started to clear, he felt Stiles’ hands on him, his perfect grip hot and squeezing hard at his dick. Picking him up and keeping it straight, Derek threw his head back as the tight, wet hotness of Stiles’ ass sank down onto Derek and Derek nearly lost his mind again as, for a second, he felt the tingle of a rut bubbling just beneath the surface of his skin.

It didn’t last any longer than a passing thought. He couldn’t think of his rut at the moment. Because Stiles was here, open and welcoming and _perfect_ , bouncing on his dick and pulling sounds from Derek that he couldn’t control or even explain. It felt so good to be like this. It didn’t feel like the obligatory sex they always had where Derek was sure Stiles was a passive participant.

With Stiles sitting on him, moving on his own, fighting for his pleasure, Derek couldn’t help but feel ecstatic at the thought that he was the one giving Stiles pleasure. He was the only one making Stiles move like that. He was the one fucking him.

Stiles bent down, grabbing Derek by the back of his neck as he kissed him. Following his lead, Derek wrapped his hands around Stiles’ torso as the two of them continued to ride and buck and fuck. Derek wanted this, forever. He wanted this and so much more, with Stiles. But it was too good to ever become true. That Stiles had thought of him first when his rut hit was already hard to believe. That Stiles had driven all the way out of town just to fuck Derek was too much for Derek to handle. This was it. This was where things changed for them.

When the fucking inevitably stopped… when the rut was over, this time, Derek was sure he wouldn’t feel disgusted with himself. He wouldn’t want to leave. Stiles wouldn’t want to leave. They’d be together. And everything would be good.

With that last thought, Derek was coming, unable to help himself. It was too good. It was too sweet to think about. It took a couple of seconds for him to realize that Stiles was coming too, clenching down on Derek’s dick as Derek shut his eyes, his pleasure milked out of him.

Lost in the sweetness of it all, he barely registered Stiles’ fangs biting deep into his neck as Derek’s world screeched to a halt!

Then everything went white.


	8. Chapter 8

Derek rolled over in bed as he pulled the covers over his head before he realized that he wasn’t in his own bed. Frowning in the darkness of the covers, he inhaled deeply, taking in Boyd’s scent… and Stiles?

With that thought, the night before came rushing back to him whispering words in Stiles’ voice, nearly lolling him right back to sleep. That had actually happened. Stiles had come to him in an alpha’s rut and Derek had been there for him. Taking a moment to let the thought sink in, he could not help the grin threatening to break out on his face.

But when it occurred to him that he was covered, underneath Boyd’s duvet and no one could see him, Derek let the grin grow. He did not need to run anymore. Yes, he had spent months using the young boy, but Stiles had come to him this time, right? That had to count for something. All the wolves in Beacon Hills and Stiles had chosen Derek.

It _had_ to mean something.

Wondering how long Stiles was going to keep sleeping, Derek reached out across the bed, trying to find the other alpha, but he got nothing.

 _Of course_ , he thought to himself. _Of course, Stiles wouldn’t stay_. He had come for his rut; he’d gotten what he needed. Why would he stay? Derek sure as hell never did. Considering how he treated Stiles on the days when he didn’t need him, Derek felt like a serious hypocrite for expecting that he would get different treatment.

“I know you’re awake, Derek.” Stiles said.

Derek threw the duvet away, not sure if he was just imaging Stiles voice, but surely enough, Stiles was sitting on the window pane in a pair of boxers and a t-shirt.

“You’re still here.” Derek said.

“Of course I’m still here.” Stiles said. “We need to talk, Derek. And I mean it. All cards on the table.”

__________

Stiles never went to sleep. Not after everything. Instead, he’d spent the night sitting on the window pane running all possible outcomes in his head. Because this had the potential to become a complete disaster. And he couldn’t have that. Not when alpha packs and darachs were running around Beacon Hills like it was a holiday park.

So he squelched down his cowardice and spent the night in Derek’s loft. Lucky for him, Derek woke up early enough that Stiles didn’t get to the point where his bravery lost its will.

“All cards on the table.” He said, pulling every string in his head. They had to do this. They couldn’t keep running from each other and pretending none of it mattered. Heat sex was fine and all but this was different.

“Okay.” Derek said, sitting up and pulling the duvet around to cover up more. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I’m not seeing anybody else, are you?” Stiles asked, jumping right to the point.

“I’m…” Derek hesitated. “I mean, I _was_ seeing Jennifer.”

“You were?” Stiles asked, not bothering to even humor the two seconds of jealousy he almost experienced.

“We broke up. I broke up with her.”

“Well, that’s good.” Stiles nodded. “Not good for her. But good for us.”

“What are you saying?”

“We can be,” _together_ , Stiles didn’t say, stopping himself just in time. “We can’t be with other people right now. After what happened last night-”

“Can’t be with other people? What’s that supposed to mean?” Derek asked and Stiles was sure if hackles were literal, Derek’s would be standing.

“That came out wrong.” Stiles tried again. “After the bite, you and I are mated.” He explained.

“What bite?” Derek asked, but even as he asked, his right hand rose to the left side of his neck where Stiles had bitten him during sex. “It… it didn’t heal?”

Derek got up from the bed, pulling the duvet along as he went to the other side of the room where a second bed lay untouched, but beside it hung a mirror. Judging by the amount of scarves strewn around and the hair products on the shelf beside the mirror, Stiles had to assume that was Isaac’s side of the room.

He stopped at the mirror, tilted his head to the right and examined the bite.

“Called Deaton while you were asleep. Turns out, gamma-alphas can also initiate a mating bite.” Stiles said, waving his hands. “Surprise!”

Derek continued to stare at the bite.

“Don’t you feel it?” Stiles asked. “I mean, I know I always felt something for between us, but ever since I bit you, I feel… connected to you. I feel like you and I are-”

“-are one.” Derek completed, still looking at the mirror.

“Yeah.” Stiles said, getting to his feet. “But we can do this, right?” He asked. “It’s not weird or anything. We’ve been doing this for months now. We can just make it official between us.”

“Because of the bite?” Derek asked, turning round to look at Stiles with a hurt expression on his face.

“Yeah, but not just the bite.”

“I never heard you try to make anything official without the bite, Stiles.”

“You didn’t try to make it official either. All you did was run off whenever you were done.” As Derek flinched away from him, Stiles felt like a dick. “I’m sorry. I’m not complaining. I’m not-”

“You should be complaining. What I did-”

“What we did-”

“What I did to you-”

“Cards on the table, Derek. Do you want me too, or not?”

Derek stared at him.

“‘Too’?” Derek asked.

Stiles blinked, feeling the rise of his cowardice again.

“It’s what I said.” He said.

“You don’t know what you’re saying.” Derek shook his head walking back to the bed as he began to check for his clothes.

“I know what I’m saying.”

“You’re saying you want to be with me because of the bite.”

“I’m saying,” Stiles said grabbing Derek by the arm till Derek was looking at him. “That we need to stop running. Yeah, this is a shitty situation but I doubt it would have ended up any different if we’d still known that my bite could mate us both.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Do you really think I didn’t want you?” Stiles asked. “Do you really think I didn’t want you and I let you do all those things to me?”

“This conversation is happening because we’re mates now.” Derek said. “That’s it. We literally can’t be with anyone else and I get that. I don’t even want to be with anyone else. But you don’t have to say all these things for my benefit. I get it. We’re mated. Once every month we’ll see each other about our ruts-”

“Heat.” Stiles corrected as Derek paused. “Deaton said gamma-alphas don’t have rut. We have heat.” Stiles explained.

“What’s the difference?”

“Well,” Stiles said. “For one, we want alphas, not betas. And gammas tend to not want… to… top?”

“Oh.” Derek said as Stiles nodded slowly.

“Derek-” Stiles started to say.

“Heat or rut or whatever, Stiles. I get it. I’m here for you too. You don’t have to make commitments that-”

Stiles dragged him by the neck and kissed him, cutting him mid-sentence. This argument was going to go on forever if Stiles didn’t show Derek how he felt. This wasn’t just about the bite. Yes, the bite had pushed him to make a decision but something had to. At some point, one of them was going to have to step up. And if the night before had taught Stiles anything at all about Derek’s feelings, it was that Derek cared about Stiles.

And it was only proven more by what Derek had just said.

 _“I don’t want to be with anyone else.”_ He’d said. He’d admitted it. Stiles just needed to get him to understand that Stiles felt the same way.

When he broke away, still holding unto the very dazed Derek, he refused to let go.

“This doesn’t prove anything.” Derek said. “You always kissed me like that.”

“Because I always felt this way, Derek.” Stiles said. “It’s not just the heat sex, Derek. It’s the feelings and the satisfaction and the bond. We need to nurture it. We need to be together.” He kissed Derek again. “I’m sorry if I’m sounding needy but we need this. I need this. I’m not going to run from this anymore. I’m not lying when I tell you how I feel. I’ve always felt this way.”

Derek _had_ to understand where he was coming from. If only he wasn’t so full of self hate, maybe he’d see that Stiles was telling the truth. Because even as they stared into each other’s eyes, Stiles could feel the doubt emanating off of Derek as he fought to find any other reason as to why Stiles was saying the things he was saying.

Deaton had said the bond was important. But he’d also tried to insinuate that other things might factor in. He’d tried to call Stiles on his behavior. He’d tried to mention that Stiles’ biting Derek could have been more than instinctive, stating that on some level, Stiles was trying to latch on to the first sexual encounter he’d had since Deucalion that wasn’t wrought with psychological trauma.

Deaton had tried. But Stiles had shut that shit down. That wasn’t what was happening. That wasn’t what Stiles was doing. He liked Derek. He had always had feelings for Derek. The bond just made things more official. That was it. It didn’t have to have more meaning than that.

And Stiles was going to have to make Derek understand that.

“Please don’t push me away.” Stiles pleaded, still holding on. “We need this.”

“I don’t want to push you away.” Derek said, holding Stiles too.

“Then don’t.” Stiles said. “We have demon wolves and demon druids to battle, Derek. Let’s not battle this, too. Please.” He kissed Derek again and this time, Derek kissed him back.

“Okay.” He agreed. “Let’s not battle this too.”


	9. Chapter 9

It was the last night of the New Moon, but instead of watching another one of Cora’s movies, the pack spent most of it pacing downstairs. Peter, most especially. Stiles was up there with Derek and it wasn’t jealousy that was keeping Peter worried. It really wasn’t.

Well, it wasn’t the ONLY thing keeping Peter worried.

He knew he had no claim over Stiles. He had no right. But if Stiles was an alpha now and they’d talked to Deaton, chances were that Deaton had spilled to them Peter’s _intentions_ and when both alphas came down, Peter was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

What he did to Stiles was different. He could explain Scott’s bite away because he was “feral” at the time. He was “hurting” and everyone liked to believe that Peter “didn’t know what he was doing”. Yeah, he’d managed to get away with that one. But with Stiles, Peter had tracked the boy down. He had abducted him. They’d held a sane conversation in the parking lot. And then Peter had bitten him. With obvious intent to mate with him _without_ his consent.

There was no way he was going to be able to excuse that away. Not if Stiles decided he didn’t want Peter in Derek’s pack anymore.

Leaning on the counter in the kitchen, Peter tried to steady his head… tried to plan. But he could come up with nothing. He was alive again and he had Cora and Derek. But he was going to lose them. He’d accepted that he lost Stiles long ago. When he woke up, when everything settled, one trip to the Stilinski house was enough to tell Peter which wolf Stiles belonged to. And if Peter was going to be in this pack, he had no business challenging Derek for Stiles.

Now, Peter was going to lose Cora and even the other two silly boys that Peter barely tolerated because… pack.

As he made morning tea for himself, he mixed some cocoa for Isaac and Cora and made coffee for Boyd, careful with the tray when he walked out to meet them.

“Do you take tea?” He asked the new boy currently sitting on the couch with Peter’s laptop in his lap.

“Thank you.” Danny said, taking the cup from Peter as Peter dropped the tray on the entre table and the wolves emerged from their hidden corners to have their morning drink.

“What does this mean now?” Isaac asked. “Stiles is an alpha. How’s that supposed to work with two alphas?”

“It’s not the same as two alphas.” Peter explained after the first gulp of tea took a scalding slide down his throat. “Stiles is a gamma. His presence won’t affect Derek, as an alpha normally would. Chances are they’re mates now, anyway.”

“Are you sure?” Cora asked, fingers wrapped around her cocoa.

“Mates?” Boyd asked, looking from Cora to Peter.

“Life partners. It’s what happens if an alpha bites or gets bitten by a gamma alpha. They become one. Their packs merge to become one.” His eyes fell on Danny. “Which I’m assuming just means you?”

Danny looked up, confused.

“I’m not… I’m just his classmate.” Danny explained. “I mean, I just spent the night researching wolf dynamics and it’s clear I don’t fit into any of the ranks. I just need Stiles to take me home when he’s done, that’s all.”

“Does that mean we’re in the same pack as Scott?” Isaac asked and Peter tried not to growl at the hopeful note present in Isaac’s tone.

But before he could say anything, a car pulled up, up front.

“Speak of the devil.” Peter commented, lifting his cup to his lips and taking another sip.

_____

Peter could hear that Scott wasn’t alone as they made the climb up the stairs and pulled the loft door open, fuming in rage as he held out his scalding hands.

“What the hell was that?” Scott asked.

“This is why you call before you come over to someone’s house, Scott.” Peter advised, feeling a tiny pang of joy at the fact that his little (not-so-little) toy had burnt Scott. Granted, it was a trap for the Alpha Pack, if they ever came around, but Peter had waited till Scott touched the building before he shut it off just so a little bit of it could touch the younger beta’s hand.

“What was that?” Allison asked as Isaac appeared with an antidote. Of course Isaac would do that. Scott was hurt and Isaac was… smitten.

“I’m not sharing my family secrets with an Argent.” Peter said, silencing Isaac, whose mouth looked poised to answer Allison’s question. _Really_! Peter grouched. Having Allison and Scott in one room was going to be really distracting if Isaac didn’t get his act together and remember whose pack he was in.

“You’re here.” Stiles called from the top of the stairs as he and Derek descended, thankfully dressed.

Feeling the need to disappear, Peter slowly rose from his seat and tried to back away into the kitchen but Derek looked around and found him.

“Did you set it up?” Derek asked, shocking Peter into place.

“I did.” He answered tentatively, awaiting his banishment. But Derek just looked away, choosing to face Scott.

“What are you doing here?” Derek asked.

“I called him before you woke up.” Stiles explained. “Scott’s been tracking the Darach but I didn’t get chance to tell you what I found out from Danny last night.”

Stiles gestured at Danny, but once again, Peter moved away, choosing not to be too close to anything or anyone that had Stiles’ attention.

“The Darach is using the telluric currents to move around Beacon Hills.” Danny said and Peter perked up at that. Telluric currents.

“How do you know this?” Peter asked.

“I was doing a paper.” Danny said. “Look, I can’t even begin to understand what you guys are doing, but there’s a solar eclipse around the corner.” He turned the laptop around to face the rest of them. “And telluric currents tend to waver once the solar eclipse passes.”

“What does that mean?” Stiles said, moving closer to the laptop.

“When the eclipse passes, the telluric currents change positions in its wake. Nothing major or even noticeable enough for a scientific community to worry about but when that happens -even a little- the currents will weaken.” He said to the room full of wolves. And Allison.

“Yeah, so?” Scott prodded and Danny turned the laptop back around.

“So!” Danny said. “Whoever the Darach is isn’t going to wait around for their power source to waver or lose energy. Whatever their endgame is, it’s going to happen before or during the solar eclipse. Before they lose their energy source. Which means you only have… like, a few weeks.”

 _A few weeks_ , Peter thought, calculating. They had the Alpha Pack to think about but if this Darach was here, so far it had been messing with the humans. Could they afford to push it unto Scott’s pack while they dealt with the Alpha Pack because the Alpha Pack felt more immediate? But as he said it, he had to remind himself that Scott’s pack was now, most likely his pack. So where did anything stand at the moment?

“What do we do?” Boyd asked.

“We need to deal with the Alpha Pack, now.” Derek stated.

“No, we need to deal with the Darach first.” Scott argued. “He’s killing people in town.”

“And you think Deucalion isn’t?”

“He’s not an immediate threat.” Scott explained. “The Darach has killed six people already. He tried to kill Deaton!”

“And the alphas abducted Stiles.” Derek pointed out as the color drained from Scott’s face. Scott looked over at Stiles.

“There’s nothing to worry about with the Alpha Pack, Stiles.” Scott said calmly. “You’re an alpha now.”

“And Deucalion came here looking for alphas.” Derek stated, speaking before Stiles could. “He came here looking for you and me. This was before Stiles lost him an alpha. Do you think he’s going to just let that go?”

“What’s your plan of attack then?” Scott asked. “Are you just going to sit around and wait for him to get his fingers burnt on the handle of your building door?”

“Come on, Scott.” Stiles said, trying to placate the situation.

“We need to deal with the Darach first.” Scott insisted.

“Or we can split up?” Stiles suggested, careful to phrase his statement like a question. Careful not to command anyone, lest his suggestion be taken for a literal command that no one could refuse. For a second, Peter envied Stiles’ power.

“Fine.” Scott said. “Our pack can follow the Darach. Derek and his can go after the Alpha Pack.”

When Scott turned to leave, Stiles didn’t move. As he got to door and realized Stiles was still standing by Derek, Scott turned back.

“What are you doing? Come on!”

“It’s not your place to dole out responsibilities anymore, Scott.” Derek said.

“I’m not trying to control anybody.” Scott said defensively. “We have work to do, now let’s go.”

“Stiles is your alpha.” Derek pointed out and Stiles closed his eyes, looking like he was so ready to disappear from the building.

“Okay.” Scott agreed. “I get it. He’s my alpha. But we still have work to do. Right Stiles?” He asked as Stiles looked up at his best friend. “Now, let’s go.”

“You said your pack should follow the Darach.”

“Stiles and Scott are in the same pack.” Allison pointed out.

“But Stiles is also in my pack.” Derek explained, tilting his head to reveal the mating mark.

“What’s that?” Scott asked, walking back.

“Stiles and I are mates now. We’re in the same pack.”

“Which means that you’re in Derek’s pack.” Cora explained, speaking up for the first time and coming to stand beside her brother.

Scott looked from Derek to Cora to Stiles, with horror etching on to his features.

“Wait. I’m not… Stiles, this is crazy.” Scott said. “We’re not members of his pack. We can’t be.”

“You’re not in control of your pack anymore, Scott.” Cora explained. “Submit.”

Scott moved over to Stiles, taking him by the shoulder.

“We can’t be in their pack, Stiles.” He said. “They kill people.”

“They really haven’t killed anyone.” Stiles said.

“They tried to kill Lydia. Hell, they killed Jackson.”

“Jackson killed people.”

“After Derek bit him and turned him into a murderous lizard. Stiles!” Scott said, sounding hysterical. “We have to leave.”

“I can’t.” Stiles said. “This is my pack now. A mating bite… it’s forever. I can’t just walk away from Derek. I can’t just leave.”

Scott straightened, dropping his hands from Stiles with the most disappointed look peter had ever seen on a teenager.

“Well then, you’re not my alpha anymore.” He stated. “Not like this.” He turned to leave. “Come on, Allison.”

“Scotty.” Stiles pleaded as the beta walked right out of the building, refusing to even slide the doors shut in his wake.

When movement caught Peter’s eye, he watched Derek slip his hands into Stiles’ and squeeze, offering comfort as Stiles closed his eyes, inhaling for a second, and then opened them.

“So what are we doing?” Boyd asked.

“Do we join Scott or do we still stick to our plan?” Isaac asked.

“What do you want to do?” Derek asked Stiles as Stiles just shrugged, pressing his lips together. When Stiles said nothing, Derek said: “I say we take down the Alpha Pack, first.”

“Okay.” Stiles agreed, shrugging again. 

“But Scott was right about one thing. It’s not enough to secure our place alone.” Derek noted. “We need to take the fight to them.”

Peter wasn’t always up for a fight. In fact, on the occasion that he felt he could avoid it, he always did. But seeing as their side now had two alphas and a gamma whose speech rendered alpha wolves into puppies, Peter felt rather positive about their odds.

This was definitely a fight he wouldn’t mind being a part of.

_____

 **MEANWHILE** : Two nights ago.

Kali ran all the way back to the apartment building, choosing to climb her way to the top rather than slouch it out in the elevator. Her nerves were wracking against her brain and she wanted to scream.

What the hell had just happened?

She couldn’t make sense of any of it. She hadn’t meant to stop. She hadn’t meant to leave either. But experiencing that full of minute of time without her freewill had scared Kali like nothing had in a long, long time. She couldn’t understand it. What was that boy? Why did his words pierce through her freewill like it did?

Holding on to the top of the window, she pushed the down part open with her feet and slid in.

“Where were you?” Deucalion asked, sitting on her bed, waiting for her.

“That little shit has powers.”

“I’m assuming you’re referring to Stiles?” Deucalion asked.

“He said something and I froze.” Kali said, advancing on Deucalion in disbelief. “I don’t know what happened. I was going to kill Derek but then he said I should stop. And I just… stopped.” She could feel her frustration deep in her bones, but she couldn’t do anything about it. “What is he? A normal alpha can’t do that?”

Deucalion tilted his head at her the way he always did when he was figuring things out.

“We have to kill him, Deuc.” Kali said. “We have to kill him before he orders us to do something like -like kill each other.”

“What color were his eyes?” Deucalion asked.

“What?” Kali asked back. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Were his eyes green?” He asked.

“Yes.” Kali said impatiently. “Yes, they were green. Emerald, I think. But that’s not the point. We need to put him down now.”

“We will do no such thing.” Deucalion said, standing to his feet.

“Deuc!”

“Kali!” He snapped back at her. “Do you trust me?”

_Or course._

“Yes, I trust you.” She said without hesitation. “Always.”

“Then listen to me.” Deucalion advised. “Get the twins back here now. We need to leave Beacon Hills.”


	10. Chapter 10

Lacrosse ran late and by the time Danny made it home, the streetlights were coming on.

The aroma of his dinner wafted up from the kitchen as he climbed the stairs but Danny honestly did not think he was going to be able to make it back down. The only way he was going to get dinner was if his mom felt like being nice and decided to bring him dinner. Which wasn’t the most common of occurrences so he wasn’t exactly holding his breath on that one.

He stowed his Lacrosse stick in the cupboard in the hallway by his door and kicked off his shoes, inwardly vowing to air them out later as he pushed his room door open. He was about to collapse on his bed when he let out a screech and rushed for the lights because…

Stiles Stilinski was rocking his table chair back and forth.

“Dude! What the fuck?”

“Sorry.” Stiles said, dropping the legs of the chair unto the ground as he stood up. “Shit. Sorry. Your hearts racing like crazy.”

“What? What are you doing?” Danny asked, closing the door. “Why are you in my room?”

“I was… I was checking up on you.”

“Checking up on me?” Danny pushed his bag away from the door with his leg and walked over to the open window where, he was pretty sure, Stiles had entered from. “This is not normal.”

“I get that. I do.” Stiles said, waving at him in surrender. “I’m not… okay, now that I think of it, it’s pretty weird for me to be here. But I needed a place to clear my head.”

“And my room made sense?” Danny asked.

“Yes?” Stiles asked back, his eyes lighting at the thought that he honestly believed Danny’s room was the place he wanted to be. “It’s weird.” He finally decided. “You’re right. It’s not normal. I’ll go.”

Stiles started for the window, confirming Danny’s theory as Danny let out a sigh. Danny knew what Stiles was going through. Danny had spent most of his life stuck to Jackson at the hip. There was a time when he could never have imagined ever living without his best friend. But now, all he had was Skype and phone calls and messages.

Jackson never left him hanging. Every time he called, Jackson answered. And if they had a prior arrangement to talk, Jackson was there. It wasn’t the same, though. Having his best friend on speed dial was not the same as Jackson sneaking into Danny’s room just to sleep on the floor.

But at least, Danny still had Jackson. Somehow.

Stiles didn’t have Scott anymore. Not if their last encounter had been as severe as it had sounded.

“Stop.” Danny said just as Stiles second leg was about to slip out the window. They may not be the best of friends but Danny wasn’t an asshole. “Come in. What did you want to talk about?”

Stiles’ eyebrows rose, asking if Danny really was serious, but Danny didn’t need to reassure him because Stiles climbed back in without further prompting.

“I should have called.”

“It’s fine.” Danny said, pulling off his cardigan and sitting on his bed as Stiles sat back in the seat. “What’s up?”

It sounded formal and not as friendly as Danny had intended it to be. But they had to get this thing on the road. Danny needed to go to sleep. This was not what he had on his agenda for the night and he had classes the next day.

“Scott’s at Derek’s loft.”

And there went Danny’s theory about the BFF break-up.

“It’s weird. It’s so… uncomfortable.” Stiles rubbed bother hands on his head in mild anger and groaned. “We went to Deucalion’s apartment and he wasn’t there.” Stiles laughed. “Place was cleaned out. They had packed up their shit and just quit town like that.” He snapped his fingers.

“That’s a good thing.” Danny said. “Right?”

Stiles looked at him and Danny was pretty sure the reflection of the lights was playing tricks because Stiles’ eyes looked a little wet.

“Did… did you want him to still be there?” Danny thought it strange that he would. If Deucalion was the bad guy and he was gone, then Stiles should be okay. But Stiles didn’t reply. He just sat there, looking at Danny. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know.” He smiled and wiped at his tricky-wet eyes. “I don’t know if I’m relieved that he’s gone or if I’m pissed that he left. I just…” He grabbed his own lips with his hands and squeezed. Danny took a moment to marvel at the sight before him. Never in his life had he seen Stiles Stilinski willfully stop himself from speaking.

“Is he the one that turned you?” Danny felt like he was missing something.

Stiles shook his head.

“But it’s fine.” He said. “Derek called Scott because now, they can both work on following the Darach. Their heads are facing the same direction. They just have to work together. But now they’re fighting and they’re tearing each other apart and saying hurtful things and now, suddenly, I’m in the middle.” Stiles laughed again. “When they hit a road black, they look at me. Me? What the fuck do I know? I’ve been an alpha for two seconds. No one ever listened to me before. I don’t want everyone to suddenly obey me.”

“It’s not so much pressure. They’re just asking for your opinion. It’s not like they have to obey you.”

Stiles did the mouth grabbing thing again and Danny was sure that that had to be one of the strangest things he had ever seen.

“I can’t be there. I mean,” Stiles took a deep breath. “I want to be. Derek’s there and everything in my body is literally aching to be by his side at this very moment. But I can’t be there. I can’t even contribute. Especially since I think they’re all looking at the wrong picture.”

“Which is?”

“The Darach.” Stiles said, sharply. “The Darach is building power. The Darach is using Druid ceremonies. The Darach wants to fight something powerful.”

“Yeah, so?”

“The only powerful thing we’d got worth fighting in Beacon Hills was the Alpha Pack.” Stiles said. “The Darach came here to fight the Alpha Pack. The strange occurrences in the town. The birds. The deer. The Darach. They all started when the Alpha Pack came here. We shouldn’t be trying to stop him. We should be trying to help.”

“Woah!” Danny exclaimed, getting to his feet. “This is scary talk, Stiles. The Darach’s been killing people.”

“And the Alpha Pack has killed more. They’re the ones we need to go after. They’re the ones we need to fight. But I can’t- I can’t tell the pack this. I can’t say anything. One word from me and they’ll all freeze up like zombies and do my bidding.”

Danny was a bit confused by the end of that particular rant, but he was very worried that Stiles sounded like he was thinking of and condoning murder.

“Listen to me.” Danny said, moving closer to the wolf sitting on his chair. “You’re a good person. Killing is not your thing.”

“Deucalion deserves it.”

“What did he do to deserve it?”

“Kept me tied up in his apartment for three days then on the first night of the New Moon, he took me into his room and raped me till morning.”

Danny couldn’t move, chilled to the bone at Stiles’ words. He could feel his mouth dropping into a gaping hole of horrified shock, but he was powerless to stop it.

“Yeah. You know what?” Stiles asked, getting to his feet. “I’ll just go.”

Unable to move, unable to react to the fact that Stiles had just dropped a heavy bomb and was really just going to run away, Danny stood there, at the centre of his room, feeling repulsed and shocked beyond belief.

_____

Danny rolled over in his bed until his body touched someone else’. As he opened his eyes, strong hands sneaked over and clasped his mouth shut. He tried to sit up, but his assailant placed a knee on his chest, slipped another hand behind his head and kept him still and silent.

“I’m not here to hurt you.” His assailant said. “Now, I’m going to take my hand away. Promise me you won’t shout. Promise?”

Danny nodded.

The knee disappeared from his chest and the hands slipped away.

“Miss Morrell?” Danny asked, leaning up.

“Tell your alpha to leave Deucalion alone.”

“My-my alpha?”

“Tell Stiles to stay in town and not go after the Alpha Pack. I’m trying to help him. I’m trying to help you, one emissary to another.” She said. “Deucalion has left. If Stiles follows, he won’t like what will happen. Tell him that. His victory is in Beacon Hills. He won’t get it anywhere else.”

“Wait, but how will I-”

Danny’s alarm clock blasted into the morning, jolting him awake as he startled himself into a sitting position.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on [Tumblr](https://bitacrytic.tumblr.com/)


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